1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to a tailpiece for a banjo, comprising:
a substantially L-shaped rigid member having a first, substantially planar plate portion and a second, substantially planar plate portion extending substantially normal to the first plate portion;
anchoring members on the L-shaped member for attachment of banjo strings to the tailpiece; and
a fixation member at a distal end of the second plate portion for attachment of the tailpiece to a drum assembly of the banjo.
2. Related Art
A large variety of tailpieces for banjos is previously known and consists of many different components which make them expensive to manufacture. For example, the U.S. company Fults makes a banjo tailpiece which utilizes two rear head-stretching hooks for making the tailpiece laterally stable in its mounted position on the banjo. This tailpiece consists of a lower part which by means of screws is attached between two adjacent rear stretch hooks. Un upper movable part is fixated to this lower part over a hinge so that it can be adjusted by an adjustment screw. This Fults tailpiece consists of more than 20 components which makes it complicated and expensive.
More simple structures of banjo tailpieces are known from e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 6,107,553 and US 2002/0144585 A1. These tailpieces consist of only two parts, an L-shaped plate body with a connecting tab or a bottom portion, and a fixation screw which attaches the tailpiece to the banjo rim through a slot or aperture in the connecting tab. This type of tailpiece is not adjustable and not especially stable in its mounted position.
A banjo tailpiece should be adjustable in two ways. Firstly, it should be adjustable in height position in order to regulate the pressure of the strings on the bridge. This adjustment may improve the tone of the banjo. Secondly, it should also be adjustable laterally so that the strings will be located in an optimal position over the neck fingerboard of the banjo.
The stability of the tailpiece is of great importance for many reasons. It should be as rigid as possible in order to absorb a minimum of the vibration energy of the strings. This increases the sound volume. Also, it is important that the individual tensions of the strings do not affect one another. For example, when tuning a string, or if a string breaks, the tension in the other strings should not be affected.
Furthermore, it is desirable that changing the strings should be as easy and quick as possible.